Garden Landscaping & Design by Andy Whitelocks HND

The right materials and a harmonious garden design here in Nottingham. Andy at Greenscapes is passionate about creating environments which will add character and increase the enjoyment of your outdoor Garden Landscape space.

A Practical knowledge with a friendly and flexible approach, Greenscapes Garden Landscaping Nottingham brings your ideas to fruition. Greenscapes Gardening and Landscaping Services Nottingham offers a complete landscaping service to give you a beautifully crafted garden.

How much will it cost to do my Garden ?

How much will it cost to do my garden?

That's a question I'm regularly asked. It's a very important question and if not asked by the client, then at some point I've got to get round to the equally tricky question "have you got a budget for the garden work ?"

Sometimes people would just like a quote, perhaps to compare with other contractors. But unless the work is easily specified or you have paid for professionally prepared to scale drawings/plans - with statements regarding levels, construction techniques and materials, no two quotes can ever be for the same work

That's the great thing about landscaping - that no two jobs are ever exactly the same, but that simple fact makes it difficult to give a firm quote for work on the spot, especially when dealing with ponds, different levels, i.e. steps and retaining walls - groundworks, electrics or projects with bespoke joinery etc.

What is a pretty universal fact though, is that hard landscaping is the most expensive part of a garden project. Digging out soil, breaking out old paving and thick concrete, waste removal, possibly a digger, skips, permeable membranes, bringing in several tons of aggregate and sorting levels, all take time, equipment and knowledge even before the new paving or bricks arrive on site.

Decking can be more cost effective than paving, and often better overcome problems of sloping gardens - and using fencing or railway sleepers ( new or used) instead of traditional walling is also a less pricey option.

Re-turfing and adding gravel areas are generally at the lower end when it comes to cost.

Sometimes just tidying a neglected garden and adding a few new finishing touches can make a real transformation with minimal cost, especially on older properties

Bearing these facts in mind and with 20 years experience in the landscape sector a realistic working budget can be discussed. Sometimes this can involve commissioning plans/schedules and work being done in phases, especially when other major projects around the property have been recently completed such as extensions or a conservatory built, and getting a patio relaid outside the new building is of prime importance.

If you'd like Andy to discuss the different options available for you and your garden, give him a call today

Planting Choice is Critical

Whilst taking pictures for this month's notice board, the first thing that took my eye was the pot of miniature daffodils, from last month's posts, still in full bloom.

When you have a small garden ( like me ) the planting choice is critical. Every shrub or perennial has to earn its place with long flowering periods - like the tête-à-tête daffodils, year long interest in its leaves - such as the acer palmatums or winter outlines ( to give an architectural background to early bulbs ) such as the various coloured barks of the dogwoods.

To get the most out of your garden space, whether it be a new planting scheme, paving or decking project - or new feature such as a bespoke pergola or trellis, to set off your new planting, give Andy at Greenscapes a call to put your ideas into reality.

Landscape Gardener Nottingham - Services

LOW MAINTENANCE GARDENS

PLANTING & HEDGES

PATIOS & PATHS

BESPOKE PERGOLAS

WATER FEATURES

PAVING & HARD LANDSCAPING

ARTIFICIAL & NATURAL LAWNS

DESIGN SERVICES

DECKING

DRIVEWAYS

FENCING

WALLS

GATES

Colouring the Garden Room

The phrase 'garden room' has never been more relevant. The garden for many, is an extension of their indoor living space, a space to entertain and relax, decorate with modern furniture and contemporary lighting. And, just like the interior, getting the colour mix just right is critical.

As a practicing garden designer and landscape builder for over 20 years, you get a feel ( hopefully) for what's looks right in the outdoor space, wether that be paving choice, curves or straight lines, gravel or grass and colour schemes ( often dictated by the age of the property or colour of the brickwork).

With colour in the garden, it's generally better to play safe, especially with paving and fencing, but be more bold with planting. You can replace flowers relatively easily; lifting and replacing paving or completely re-painting your fencing less so.

We've just finished a makeover of a town house garden, where the client wanted a colourful contemporary space, incorporating pastel shades in the planting, blue grey paving and light blue fencing surrounding the garden. All through the build, my main concern was getting the fence colour just right. That critical shade, when decided upon, dictated the type of gravel and to a large extent the planting scheme and future outdoor furniture purchases. keeping the decking area natural colour and adding pale brown trellis complemented the colour and stopped the blue being too overpowering.

The finished garden looked great, the client was happy and looking forward to buying pots and new seating, and I was glad to have done something a little different from the norm.